MRI instead of yearly mammograms?

Ask-the-Expert Online Conference

Question fromCArlene:
Do you recommend an MRI instead of yearly mammograms?

Answers -Lynn Hartmann
It really depends on the level of density in the breast tissue and also the risk status of the patient whether an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) might be appropriate. Generally, we're using breast MRIs for very high-risk women, such as BRCA carriers and women with dense breast tissue.

Beth Baughman DuPree, M.D., F.A.C.S.
In my practice, MRI is used predominately in assessment for multi-focal breast cancers, for women whose cancers were not detected mammographically, and also those patients, as Dr. Hartmann has discussed, who are at high risk for developing breast cancer. There are new tests on the horizon such as Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) that are currently being used on a trial basis. They have tremendous potential in the future for the screening of high-risk women. The PEM is a form of a PET scan specifically for the breast.

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